Ratings: ‘The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story’ best FX series launch in years

It’s not often that FX does something that they haven’t achieved as a network since 2002, but that is precisely what they did with “The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story” on Tuesday night.

Overall, the launch of the series featuring Cuba Gooding Jr., John Travolta, Sarah Paulson, and others drew more than five million viewers coupled with a 2.0 rating in the key adults 18-49 demographic. This is the best start for a drama on the network in its first season since “The Shield” almost 14 years ago. That’s tremendous when you consider some of the other landmark hits that the network has had, whether it be “American Horror Story,” “Sons of Anarchy,” “Justified,” “Louie,” and others within that time span.

There is one comedy within this span that generated a better series launch: Charlie Sheen’s “Anger Management,” which premiered with a 2.1 and 2.3 for its first two episodes. However, it went downhill very quickly after that and was eventually canceled after just two seasons of the air (even though the second one was a massive order).

The reason for “The People v. OJ Simpson” being an instant hit is tied first and foremost to the high-profile network and the case. This is something that viewers around the country remember, and you also have to remember the A-list cast and the “American Crime Story” name being similar to “American Horror Story.” This creates a further sense of brand identity.

Given that we are in an age now of live+3 viewing, this is where we’re probably going to see FX start to boast about records that shatter any of the other shows we’ve mentioned in any measure. Back when “The Shield” was on, there weren’t so many different ways to catch up.

You can read our review of the premiere episode by heading over to the link here. Also, sign up right away to secure some other TV news on everything we cover, sent right over to you via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: FX.)